A Mother's Love
by LunaOdin1234
Summary: March 24th. A gorgeous spring day for everyone at the station. But not for Rusty. It's his mother's birthday. And Rusty knows that it's time to ask his father who she really was before her death two decades ago…


**A/N.  
Hi everyone. Welcome to my first Starlight Express fanfiction, and my second one-shot in total. I decided to write this after getting the idea and having it stick in my brain. I liked it, and wrote this up. It's rated K+ for sensitive topics (A.K.A. mentions of death. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it). It also takes place only two years after the musical. I do not own Starlight Express, or any characters mentioned in the musical. I only own OCs, and there are a few appearing in here. Anyways, that's just about all I have to say. Once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy!**

 **A Mother's Love.  
** March 24th was the first nice day in a long time.

The walls of the Apollo Victoria Station were glistening with melting ice, running down the brickwork and glass. Outside, the trains were rolling back and forth across the tracks passing the grassy fields and sparkling lake just outside the Scrapyard. Many were bustling around because they were just excited to be out in such nice weather after so long. Winter had been particularly chilly and bitter this year, much to the dislike of everyone (besides Volta, her being a Freezer Truck of course), so it was good for a change.

The station seemed to be crowded today. Mainly because of the arrival of the Russian Champion Turnov, who had been invited for a short visit. Turnov was currently standing with his wife of three years, Rozalina. Well, standing was a bit of an overstatement. Rozalina, a pretty Dining Car with black hair and green eyes, was attempting to calm their one-year-old daughter, a Repair truck named Veruca, as she excitedly met the oher trains. One the other hand, Turnov was holding Veruca's heavily shy twin sister, a Sleeping Car named Klara, trying to coax her into saying hello.

Also present were the three sisters Buffy, Ashley, and Duvay, and their two younger brothers, Titus and Wolf, who didn't really like being around their sisters at all times very much. Julian, nicknamed 'Flat-Top' by one of his friends a long time ago ( no one knows who came up with _that_ ridiculous idea), was having his younger sister Leandra trail behind him, as long as she didn't leave his sight. Electra was greeting the Russian train as well, with his brother Purse close by. Their older sister Wrench was off somewhere else with her boyfriend, Krupp. Krupp's younger sisters, Joule and Volta, were engaged in a conversation with Dinah and her younger sister Pearl, all of them squealing and rapidly talking about something. They weren't telling anyone, but Dinah's longtime boyfriend, the American champion Greaseball, was standing off in another corner with a happily dazed expression on his face, so everyone got a feeling that he might have asked her something very important the night before. Who knows? They would just have to see. Dustin and Angel, Rusty's younger half siblings, were off somewhere else, maybe with their mother Belle.

CB had vanished the night of the race last year, only hours after Rusty had been crowned champion. They searched for him for hours, but he had vanished. No one ever heard from him since. Maybe for the best…..but so what? Nothing could dash this perfect morning.

However, despite the cheery mood around the station this morning coming from everyone else, Rusty seemed down.

Other trains came up and asked what was wrong, but he wasn't talking to anyone. Pearl, Dustin, and Angel knew what was going on, for Rusty had told Pearl, and Dustin was his younger half-brother and best friend, and they were being sympathetic. All three of them encouraged the others to let the Steam Train have his space today. They all obliged, but still wondered what was going on. Rusty was standing off to the side while other trains rushed across tracks, this way and that, left and right, and he stood out. There was a depressed frown written on his face. They hadn't seen him look that down since the race two years ago, on the Winter Solstice. He occasionally said a quiet hello to other trains as they passed, and also took part in greeting Turnov as he and his family arrived that morning, but other than that, he was standing at the other wall, lost in thought, and away from everyone else.

The very reason he was so out of it this particular morning was because it was his mother's birthday. Rusty never knew his mom. He had Belle, his stepmother, who had raised and loved him like her own son, but his real mother died when he was one. He, Dustin and Angel knew better than to ask about her, because whenever she was mentioned, their father would get a heartbroken, distant look in his steel gray eyes. But other than that, he knew almost nothing about his mother. He didn't want to hurt his father, who must have been grieving right now too.

What would happen if he did ask?

Rusty thought about this. He didn't even know if he could...and if he did, would he get an answer? What if he only hurt his father, just like he though? And would that make Belle feel awkward? He didn't know. But if he didn't ask, he would never know who she was. It had to be time. He knew it. Even his father couldn't hold off the answer forever.

As he approached home, Rusty's heart began to race. He was really gonna do this. He was going to know who his mother was. Had she been just as he imagined her? The kind, gentle soul in his dreams? What if she wasn't? It was so much, but he was going to find out. No matter what anyone else said. He slowly went through the door to find Belle making lunch, with Dustin and Angel chatting with her. Okay, he wouldn't say anything yet. He would pretend that everything was normal.

When Dustin saw Rusty, his own steel colored eyes lit up. "Hi Rusty!" he said. Angel turned, saw her brother, and her face lit up. "Rusty!" she said. Rusty waved. "Hi Dustin. Hey Angel!" he said, sitting down with his littler half-siblings. "Did you say hi to Turnov when he arrived?" asked Dustin. Rusty nodded. "I did. I also saw that Veruca spent a fair amount of time clinging to your leg." he said, resulting in the three of them bursting into laughter at the memory. "Boy, do I wish I could have seen that!" Angel managed to get out between laughs. Belle watched her children fool around with each other and smiled. She couldn't have been a prouder mother, especially to the two of them. Rusty and Dustin had teamed up two years ago to successfully win the race, and it also caused the whole family to be much closer than before. Her boys were champions, and Belle held the strongest pride in her heart for them both. They were also wonderful brothers to Angel.

Angel was twelve years old, and part of the slightly younger generation of trains, as said above. Normally, the rule for trains was that you couldn't go to the Winter Solstice Race until you were eighteen, for it could be a dangerous event. This was true, for some racers have been hurt in the past (and at last year's race too). But after the CB incident at last year's race, they deemed it way too dangerous to leave the smaller trains alone, should CB come back. The rule was quickly changed by Control, due to the amount of worried trains asking, and the younger ones could attend. Angel was ecstatic that she would be able to attend the following year, as well as Wolf, Titus, Leandra, Duvay, and a few others that Rusty couldn't exactly remember that didn't have any older siblings. But none of them were more excited than Angel. However, there had been some debate about letting her go at all, because of one crucial detail.

Both of Angel's legs were crippled. She couldn't walk on her own, and her legs were always in braces. Mainly, she stayed with Dustin, who helped her get around the station, and Rusty and her parents help out too. Eventually, it was decided she could go, but everyone already knew she would have a hard time participating due to her problem. It was decided that she could stay close to her brothers and friends most of the time. When Rusty and Dustin told her the news, her turquoise eyes immediately lit up with excitement, and she spent all night after that frequently styling her sleek, jet black hair, imagining how she would look on the big night. It had been a dream of hers to go to the Race, and now, that dream was coming true.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came Poppa, Rusty, Dustin, and Angel's father. All four family members in the kitchen went silent. Belle quickly went back to making lunch, and Dustin and Angel looked down at the table, to avoid being stared at. Rusty didn't move at all. He knew the look in Poppa's eyes. He was in a heavy state of mourning. The worn, tired, sad look was all he needed to know. Maybe he shouldn't ask. But then again, that would defeat the whole purpose. He needed to ask. He just had to. Mustering up every ounce of courage he had, he looked up at his beloved father and gave him a knowing look.

Poppa sat down. "I can tell by the expression on your face that you know what today is." he said. Rusty nodded. "I know. I've always remembered today." he said. Poppa smiled. "That's wonderful son. It's the only right thing to do, in her memory. Never forget her." Rusty sighed. "Yeah…" This was it. Now or never. As Poppa was getting up to leave the room, Rusty shot up and said loudly, "I want to know who she was!"

It was as if the kitchen had been muted. Belle turned off the stove and stood staring at Rusty. Dustin was giving him a look that clearly asked, ' _What are you doing?!'_ Angel suddenly became interested in her fingernails. And Poppa...well, he couldn't exactly read Poppa's expression. But he knew he had said something that would change everything. He looked down. "I had to do that." he said. "I barely know anything about her...and I wanted to know." If anyone could look into his soft brown eyes at that moment, they could tell he was ashamed. He knew he would upset Poppa. "Please don't be angry. I just...felt like it was time to know now."

Poppa didn't say anything. Rusty knew he said something horribly wrong, again. But this time, he really screwed up. He knew he was in trouble now.

That is, until Poppa sighed, placed a gentle hand on his oldest son's shoulder, and said, "You're right, Rusty. It's time you knew who she was."

Rusty did a double take. "What?" he asked. "I thought you would be mad if I asked!" he said, shocked. Poppa smiled sadly at Rusty. "You've had every right to ask about your mother, for a long time. I thought that **you** thought you weren't ready to hear, for a long time now, so that's why I've never told you anything. But it seems that you thought **I** wasn't ready to talk about her. It's alright, Rusty. I'll tell you everything you want to know about your mother. Come, sit down. I'll begin."

Poppa and Rusty sat down at the table where Dustin and Angel had been listening with interest. Belle also sat down with her family, also ready to hear. Rusty, Dustin, Angel, and Belle all leaned in close, as Poppa took a deep breath, and began the story. "As you know Rusty, just a few years before you were born, the era of Steam Trains began to die out, and were quickly replaced by Diesel Trains. And they began to heavily mock Steam, right?" Rusty nodded. Before the race in which he was champion, nobody except him and Poppa ran on Steam. They were outcasted by everybody, saying Steam was entirely out of date, and no one could ever race with it. But both Poppa and Rusty proved them wrong with Poppa's win in the second race, and after Rusty replaced him when he couldn't go on, Rusty's victory of the whole competition. Soon, many trains switched from Diesel to Steam. Rusty and Poppa couldn't be happier.

"Well, a few years before my retirement, after a race in which I had won, some Diesel Trains came up to me, and began to insult my running on Steam. They said many horrible things about me, and there was nowhere I could go to get away from their nasty words. But just as it was reaching a point where I was getting ready to defend myself, a coach came in and chased them away. She was a Dining Car, and...she was the most beautiful coach I had ever seen. And her name...was Ginny. Short for Ginger."

Rusty drew in a breath. Ginny. That was her name. It was a gorgeous name. Poppa smiled. "Ginny convinced me to forget all the awful things they said to me. The next day, we met again, and began to talk. Over time, we bonded more and more. We were falling for each other. Every time we saw each other, our love had grown stronger. We became a couple, and three years later, I proposed. And she said yes." Poppa placed his hand on Rusty's, and sighed. "We were married soon afterwards, and a year later… you came along, and everything was perfect." he said. Poppa looked deep into Rusty's eyes, and looked as if an old memory was surfacing. "You have her eyes."

Rusty gasped. Her eyes. Ginny had once had the same eyes as him. The softest brown you would ever see, with unmeasurable lengths of gentleness, and kindness for other trains. Those were the things Rusty liked best about his eyes. And his mother had once had them too. The only thing was…"What happened to her?" he asked.

Now Poppa looked deeply saddened. He hung his head, looking down at the floor and unable to meet his son's eyes. "The Heralds Bridge accident. That's what happened." Dustin's hands flew to his mouth, and his eyes bugged in shock. Angel leaned in closer to her mother. Rusty's jaw dropped. "That's how she died?!" he asked, horrified. Poppa nodded. "Yes. That was the incident where she passed away."

The Heralds Bridge was an old abandoned bridge over a river a few miles away, with the middle having collapsed into the river below twenty years ago. It had opened in April the same year Rusty was born, and only stayed up for two years, until January of the year that Rusty would have been two. Two gangs of trains had a nasty fight on it, and many bystanders and police tried to stop the fight. But the bridge couldn't handle the weight of so many trains on it after some time. It collapsed, and the death toll was ridiculously high. The few who did escape the wreck, the ones who hadn't been killed during the fall, under the fallen bridge or drowned, had permanent injuries or illnesses. A few more didn't survive past the next five or six years. It was in the news for weeks, and was deadly.

"Ginny's father was part of one of the gangs. They had business to disclose over something long forgotten now, and that night, Ginny had followed. She didn't want him getting hurt, and tried to talk him out of it. But he refused to back off. When the bridge began to collapse, trains on the bridge started sending out emergency transmissions for help. Ginny tried to contact me, and Control told me to get there as fast as I could. But when I was halfway there, a train who had known her came and told me that she and her father had died in the accident." Poppa explained. After that, he couldn't take it anymore and began to sob. Belle reached out and took her husband into her arms to soothe him. Dustin and Angel also began to cry. Dustin turned to his brother and said, "I'm so sorry, Rusty."

Rusty felt numb. He couldn't even blink. How could such a beautiful soul like his mother have perished in such a heartbreaking way as that?! She hadn't deserved it! All she had been trying to do was stop that madness!

They waited until Poppa stopped crying and gained back his composure for him to continue. "Then, after you had turned two, I met Belle, and we married. Two years later, a few months after you had turned three, Dustin was born, and Angel came along when you were nine (both siblings blushed when they entered the story) and we've been okay ever since then."

No one else moved. The story had started out okay, but the dark turn had shaken everybody, especially poor Rusty. "How?" he asked. "Why did it have to happen?" Poppa sighed and sniffed. "I don't know. All I know is that your mother is in a better place now, and that's all that matters." Rusty frowned. "I wish I could remember her." he said. "That was be amazing if I could at least see her once." Poppa and Belle looked at one another, and then both stood. Belle motioned the siblings to follow their parents into the living room. They followed, Dustin carrying Angel. Once there, Poppa pulled out a large box from the closet and sighed.

"One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made, was trying to push away my memories of Ginny after her death. It's pained me for two decades now...and I've waited long enough."

The large, tape concealed box was soon pried open by five pairs of eager hands. Inside was a single object that was quickly identified as a camera. A video camera.

Rusty's heart stood still.

Minutes later, Poppa and Belle were getting the videos started on the T.V., with Angel sitting nearby on the floor, helping her parents get the whole thing set up. She was good with mechanics. Dustin and Rusty had both taken a seat on the sofa, gripping each other's hands and looking very nervous. Dustin looked over at his older brother. "You okay, Rusty?" he asked. "Yeah….I'm okay…" Rusty said, trailing off. "It's just… I'm having a bit of a hard time grasping all this. I had only planned to ask who my mother was, and now suddenly I'm about to see her! Well, sort of. But you know what I mean." Dustin seemed to understand. "Alright. I'll be right here with you, so don't worry."

"So will I." they heard a voice say. Everyone looked up to see Pearl standing at the entrance to the room. Rusty's face lit up. "Pearl, you're here!" She immediately sat down on the other side of Rusty and pulled him into an embrace. "Of course. I would always be here for you." she said. Belle stood and smiled at the young coach. "Why hello, Pearl! It's always such a pleasure having you here!" Pearl blushed. "Thank you, Belle. That means a lot."

After some time, even though it felt like hours to Rusty, they had managed to hook the camera up the the small T.V., and everyone gathered around to watch. The silver screen flickered with static for a few seconds, waking itself up and getting ready, until finally, the screen went black, save for these words: August 27th. Rusty gasped. That was his birthday.

When the image came into view...no one moved. The coach holding the camera was breathtakingly, drop-dead gorgeous. She had at least half of Rusty's own features. Auburn waves that flowed down past her shoulders, a soft glow to her cheeks, and most importantly, Rusty's eyes. She had the camera pointed directly at her face, and was beaming into the camera. "Okay...everything's all set…" she said in a soft, melodic voice. "Poppa, can you go get Rusty?" she asked, turning the camera to face a younger version of Poppa. A livelier version. Poppa nodded, held a finger up to his lips, and made his way down a hallway. Ginny turned the camera back towards her. "Oh, Rusty's gonna love this! He's been so excited-"

Suddenly, she tripped and fell over, saving the camera at the last second. Out of breath, she laughed, and picked the camera back up. "Whoops!" she said. "Clumsy me, tripping over myself again!" she said. "I have to stop doing that so often." she muttered to herself.

She wasn't perfect...but that's what made her perfect. Rusty couldn't help the tears as he realized this.

Moments later, Poppa came back with an adorable toddler in his arms. He had Rusty's sandy hair, and the same soft brown eyes, which looked really big. He laughed when he saw his mother, revealing that a few teeth had grown in. "Mama!" he said, squealing with glee and reaching out for Ginny, who took him in her arms. "Aww, hi Rusty! Happy birthday!" she said. "Oh, Poppa, just look at him! He's already so grown up!"

The video continued throughout that day so long ago, which included a full day of games and celebrations. To everyone's surprise, many of the trains that Rusty knew now were there, including Greaseball, aged three (and a little bit of a brat, as usual), and Dinah, aged two. The festivities were topped off with a small cake, and then everyone was sent home afterwards, so that the small family could have some time to themselves. Rusty was still in tears as he watched that one, blissful day with his mother, one of the only ones he would ever probably get to relive.

Onscreen, one-year-old Rusty had fallen asleep curled up in his mother's arms, slightly sucking his thumb. Ginny was stroking the back of his head, watching him. "Oh, Poppa…" she said softly. "How is he already a year old?" Poppa, who was sitting off to the side, shrugged. "I have no idea Ginny." he said honestly. "Either way, he's still beautiful." she answered. "He'll always be beautiful, and I don't even care what other trains might say about him. My Rusty...the greatest gift that the Starlight Express ever gave me. He'll be the greatest of them all one day, trust me on that Poppa…"

And the screen went black once more, with the last shot being Ginny's smiling face, looking down at her son with pride.

Everyone sat frozen for a second, comprehending what they had just seen. " _The greatest gift that the Starlight Express ever gave me,"_ she had said. She had been wonderful. And she had been taken.

"I...I need to think." Rusty said, getting up and heading for the door. Before he went outside however, he turned and motioned for Pearl to join him. The coach got up and followed him outside. Once they were out of earshot from everyone inside, she turned to him. "Was she everything you thought she was?" Pearl asked.

Rusty had to be honest, because his mind had just been completely boggled. Of course, Pearl was right, but he needed a second to wrap his mind around what he had seen. After two decades of wondering and wishing, he had just seen his mother for the first time. He knew who she was now. She was everything he had dreamed and more. Even if they had only caught one fleeting day with her, that day would forever exist for Rusty, and he would feel like she was with him all over again.

"Yes." he said, tearing up again. "Pearl, she was more than that. It was more incredible than I thought it would be. _She_ was more incredible than I thought she would be!" he said. "I'll never forget watching that, as long as I live. My mother lives on through the memories of when she was here, as long as we keep those memories alive...and no matter how small they are." he said. Pearl listened, beaming. "Then I won't forget either." she said. "Your mom would be proud, you know? I really bet she would."

Rusty and Pearl smiled as they fell silent, leaning closer. Pretty soon, the two were locked in an embrace, which included a kiss.

"Well, well! Maybe Greaseball and Dinah are gonna have some competition in the romance department!" they heard a voice call out. Rusty and Pearl both jumped back with a yelp, then looked up to see Buffy, Ashley, and Dinah standing some feet away. Dinah was elbowing Buffy at the joke. "Okay Buffy, just because Greaseball and I are engaged, doesn't mean my sister has to directly follow my example." she said. Rusty smiled at Dinah. "I knew it!" he said. "How? She didn't even tell you yet!" asked Ashley. "Well, I kind of figured it out from the way you were all getting excited a few hours ago." he said. Pearl grinned. "Yeah...you know, that means Greaseball is my brother in law now." Rusty and all four coaches stood still for a moment, picturing this, before busting out laughing. "Well, it'll be fine. Greaseball's not too bad." said Rusty.

Pearl nodded in agreement. "Okay." she said, regaining some composure after the fit of laughter. She turned to Rusty and smiled. "We're gonna be fine from here, right?" she asked.

Rusty couldn't help but feel as if that were a definite yes…

 **A/N.  
Okay, I will have to admit...that wasn't as cleanly structured as I wanted it to be, but Starlight Express isn't as easy to write about as it looks, especially considering that this is my first time. I'll probably post another Starlight one-shot soon, maybe about Angel's first race, and maybe something about CB's disappearance. Either one. Angel and most of the other younger trains are OCs of mine, and so is Ginny. Duvay however is not an OC. She replaced Ashley in the second UK tour. I just felt that it would be interesting to add her in.**

 **So, what did you think of this one? You guys can let me know in the reviews, just please say something positive. This is my first time writing Starlight, and I think I've done pretty good, but not** _ **too**_ **good. About average. Anyways, that's just about it. I hope you all enjoyed this, and once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Thank you! ;)**


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